Recruitnik Roots

[Theologator]

A long time ago, in a county far far away...

Tom McEwen at the Tampa Tribune would publish on Christmas Day a list of top recruits. His method: those being strongly recruited by UF, FSU and Miami were “Blue Chips” and those being recruited by 2 of the 3 were “Red Chips”.

That’s where all this recruiting buzz started for me. I began at UF in January 1980 about the time GatorBait began. It took off from there.

 

[Ray Finkle]

That's what you love about these high school boys; you get older, they stay the same age.

 

[Slevin]

I started following it with the Brock Berlin class. Have been heavily interested in the details ever since. A few years later we got Chris Leak who threw for more yards in high school than I thought was even possible.

 

[Ancient Reptile]

I followed Tom in the 1960s, although the St. Pete Times was my favorite newspaper, the Tampa Tribune had the best sports coverage. Don't remember red chips back then.

 

[Theologator]

That's what you love about these high school boys; you get older, they stay the same age.

When is your episode on Dateline?

 

[Alumni Guy]

A long time ago, in a county far far away...

Tom McEwen at the Tampa Tribune would publish on Christmas Day a list of top recruits. His method: those being strongly recruited by UF, FSU and Miami were “Blue Chips” and those being recruited by 2 of the 3 were “Red Chips”.

That’s where all this recruiting buzz started for me. I began at UF in January 1980 about the time GatorBait began. It took off from there.

I used to love the trib recruiting page on Christmas. Don't know why they got rid of it.

It always started 'crootin season for me.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

That's what you love about these high school boys; you get older, they stay the same age.

 

[InstiGATOR1]

A long time ago, in a county far far away...

Tom McEwen at the Tampa Tribune would publish on Christmas Day a list of top recruits. His method: those being strongly recruited by UF, FSU and Miami were “Blue Chips” and those being recruited by 2 of the 3 were “Red Chips”.

That’s where all this recruiting buzz started for me. I began at UF in January 1980 about the time GatorBait began. It took off from there.

Also in the early days there was Bill Buchalter

https://www.fhsaa.org/departments/special-programs/hall-of-fame/members/barry-d-bill-buchalter

 

[Theologator]

Also in the early days there was Bill Buchalter

https://www.fhsaa.org/departments/special-programs/hall-of-fame/members/barry-d-bill-buchalter

We lived in Lakeland and subscribed to the Tampa Tribune. I didn’t discover Buchalter until I got to Gainesville and could peruse the states larger papers.

One year Charley Pell invited McEwen and Buchalter to serve as honorary head coaches in the Orange & Blue Game. I can’t remember who won.

McEwen was from Wauchula where his brother Red was a Star HB & went on to play at UF. My wife is from Wauchula and I managed to make that connection with him before he retired.

 

[InstiGATOR1]

We lived in Lakeland and subscribed to the Tampa Tribune. I didn’t discover Buchalter until I got to Gainesville and could peruse the states larger papers.

One year Charley Pell invited McEwen and Buchalter to serve as honorary head coaches in the Orange & Blue Game. I can’t remember who won.

McEwen was from Wauchula where his brother Red was a Star HB & went on to play at UF. My wife is from Wauchula and I managed to make that connection with him before he retired.

I don't know when either started but I know Buchalter was doing his list by the mid to late 1960s.

 

[Theologator]

I don't know when either started but I know Buchalter was doing his list by the mid to late 1960s.

I don’t know when either started their list. They were long time contemporaries & I think friends, so it wouldn’t surprise me if one picked up the idea for their own market. Buchalter pioneered recruiting coverage in Florida way beyond what McEwen & the Tribune did.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Comedy off of movie references doesn't always work. I stand by it.

 

[Chomper]

Sad to say, newspapers "ain't" what they used to be. Great sportswriters such as Tom McEwen, Hubert Mizell, Bill Buckhalter, Edwin Pope and a few others are but a faded memory.

 

[InstiGATOR1]

Sad to say, newspapers "ain't" what they used to be. Great sportswriters such as Tom McEwen, Hubert Mizell, Bill Buckhalter, Edwin Pope and a few others are but a faded memory.

Progress happens, great buggy makers have to adapt and make great car bodies. Similarly great sportswriters now often work online. We want the information now as much as ever, we just want different delivery methods.

Heck recruiting is a great example of the market being there and the press not recognizing it. Thus we got our level of recruiting coverage we wanted online and newspapers had to scramble to catch up.

 

[Chomper]

Progress happens, great buggy makers have to adapt and make great car bodies. Similarly great sportswriters now often work online. We want the information now as much as ever, we just want different delivery methods.

Heck recruiting is a great example of the market being there and the press not recognizing it. Thus we got our level of recruiting coverage we wanted online and newspapers had to scramble to catch up.

No doubt that technology waits for no one. Remember when yellow Kodak film signs were everywhere? Digital cameras put a stop to that.

 

[stephenPE]

About the time Bobby started coaching at Fsu is when I remember the blue chipper/red chipper references. He was winning with lots of the red chippers that reinforced his coaching skills. Then we went on probation and all that changed...............sigh.

 

[T REX]

I still have stacks and stacks of old Street & Smith's, Athlons and I never missed it when Parade did their AA's.

 

[stephenPE]

Had to get that Street and Smith to learn about our team and others.

there was our guy, Larry Smith

 

[Double Gator Dad]

I started following recruiting in the early 80's thanks to Gator Bait.
It sounds so antiquated now but I used to look forward to the recruiting edition arriving in the mail each January. This edition would include David Stirt's "Cream of the Crop" list each year that featured the top 20-25 players in the state. The accuracy of this list, compared to the performance of these players, was very impressive. Typically, 80-90% of these players would turn out to be NFL caliber.

What I liked about it was that it appeared to be objective versus some of the homer crap we get now that tries to convince you that every player UF gets, is one of the best. There would be years in the 80's when we might get 1 or 2 players on the list while Miami and FSU cleaned up. This would help me to manage my expectations in the late 80's. Conversely, once SOS arrived, we would see UF get their fair share of these players and the results on the field validated the list.

 

[Double Gator Dad]

Had to get that Street and Smith to learn about our team and others.

there was our guy, Larry Smith

This cover is awesome. I lost the magazine over the years but I still have this cover.